Poly(arylene ether) resins have been blended with polyamide resins to provide compositions having a wide variety of beneficial properties such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, impact strength, hydrolytic stability, and dimensional stability.
In some applications it is desirable to use poly(arylene ether)/polyamide blends with good flame resistance. Unfortunately, this flame resistance is difficult to achieve for articles with lower thicknesses while maintaining or improving mechanical properties. Conventional flame retardant poly(arylene ether)/polyamide blends often use silicone fluid and boron phosphate to achieve good flame resistance ratings, however the use of these flame retardants is associated with a loss of mechanical strength. Moreover, it is particularly difficult to achieve flame retardancy in glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic compositions, because the presence of the reinforcing filler alters the combustion behavior of the composition compared to non-reinforced compositions. There therefore remains a need for glass fiber reinforced poly(arylene ether)/polyamide compositions that exhibit good flame retardancy without compromising mechanical strength.